|
|
|
The 20th
Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a unit
raised for service in the First World War.
History
The 20th
Battalion was organized at Toronto in October 1914, under
the authorization of General Order 36 of 15 March 1915. The
unit recruited in Aurora, Milton, Parry Sound, Owen Sound,
Whitby, Barrie, Brampton, York, Simcoe, Niagara Falls,
Dundas and Sudbury.
The battalion
embarked from Montreal on 15 May 1915 aboard the Megantic
and arrived in the United Kingdom on 24 May 1915. The unit
moved to France with the 2nd Canadian Division on 14
September 1915 and saw action with the 4th Brigade. Two
soldiers of the battalion were awarded the Victoria Cross,
both posthumously. Sergeant Frederick Hobson received the VC
for actions near Lens at the Battle of Hill 70 on 18 August
1917. Lieutenant Wallace Lloyd Algie received the VC for
actions near Iwuy on 11 October 1918.
The battalion
returned to England on 6 April 1919, arrived back in Canada
on 22 May 1919, and demobilized on 24 May 1919.
The Queen's
Rangers perpetuated the 19th Battalion in the postwar
Militia.1 In 1936 when that regiment was
amalgamated to create The Queen's York Rangers, that unit
carried on the perpetuation.2 |
|
20th
Battalion, CEF |
|
 |
|
Organized:
October 1914
Initial Strength: 35 officers, 1100 other
ranks
Service: 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2nd
Canadian Division
Disbanded: General Order 149/1920 eff 15
September 1920
Perpetuated by: The Queen's Rangers in 1920
and in 1936 The Queen's York Rangers. |
|
Traditions
The battalion had a
brass band as well as a bugle band, and published three issues of a
regimental newspaper called The Twentieth Gazette while in
France. The unit's colours were deposited at St. Alban's Cathedral
in Toronto in 1919.3
Insignia
The cap badge illustrated above appears
in the
Babin catalogue as E-20 with variants E20a and E20b.
|
|
 |
 |
| Babin
E-20 |
Babin
E20a |
Babin
E-20b |
In 1914, there had been little time to
adopt distinctive unit badges for the hastily assembled battalions
of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As many battalions were drawn
from men from several of the pre-war Militia regiments, there was a
desire to avoid using existing badges and forming associations with
those existing units, in favour of creating new identities - the
General Officer Commanding the 1st Canadian Contingent (later 1st
Canadian Division) is quoted as saying sometime in October or
November of 1914 "there must be distinctive badges for each unit."4
Until unit badges were approved and issued, a mixture of
pre-war Militia badges and maple-leaf pattern General Service badges
were seen.
 In
mid-1916, cloth "battle-patches" were added to the sleeves of the
Service Dress and greatcoat. The 2nd Division was distinguished by a
blue rectangle, 3 inches wide by 2 inches tall, worn on each upper
arm. The 20th Battalion was further distinguished by a green
triangle
worn above the rectangle, the green indicating the 4th Brigade, and
the triangle the third senior battalion in the brigade. More
information on formation patches can be found in the article on the
organization of the division.
Metal cap and collar badges were also
worn on service dress.
Battle Honours
Battle Honours were granted by General
Order 110 of 1929. Honours selected for emblazonment are in bold:
Mount Sorrel
Flers-Courcelette
Ancre Heights
Vimy 1917
Scarpe, 1917, '18
Ypres, 1917
Amiens
Canal du Nord
Pursuit to Mons |
Somme, 1916, 18
Thiepval
Arras 1917, '18
Arleux
Hill 70
Passchendaele
Hindenburg Line
Cambrai, 1918
France and Flanders 1915-18 |
Notes
-
Guide to Sources Relating to
Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Infantry Battalions (Library
and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON, 2012)
p.101, (copy in RG24, vol. 1258, file HQ 593-2-1, pt. 1).
-
Love, David W. A Nation in Making: The Organization and
Administration of the Canadian Military During the First World
War (Service Publications Ltd., Ottawa, ON, 2012) ISBN
978-1-894581-72-1 Volume II, p.331
-
Guide to Sources, Ibid
-
Harper, Joseph A Source of
Pride: Regimental Badges and Titles in the Canadian
Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (Service Publications,
Ottawa, ON, 1999) ISBN 0-9699845-8-8 p.5
Archival Holdings
The following holdings at Library and
Archives Canada may be useful for further research on this unit:
-
War diary, 1 Nov. 1914 - 31 March
1919
-
Appointment of officers
-
Inspection reports, clothing and
equipment
-
Badges
-
Pay and paysheets
-
Demobilization
-
Accounts
-
History
-
Recruiting and mobilization
-
DHS file
-
Muster parades
-
Promotions
-
Promotions, appointments,
commissions
-
Trophies and captured stores
-
Strength, Dec. 1918 - Jan. 1919
-
Trophies
-
Operation orders, 3 March 1917
-
Commands 26 July 1918
-
Demobilization Dec. 1918 - April
1919
-
Minor operations May - June 1918
-
Operation orders March 1916 - Jan.
1919
-
Establishment Nov. 1917
-
Orders 3 April 1917
-
Minor operations, 17 Jan. 1917
-
Badges
-
Historical record
-
Honours and awards, 1918
-
Operations. St Eloi
-
Operations. Somme, Oct. 1916
-
Minor operations, 9 Aug. 1917
-
Photographs
-
Inspection reports prior to
departure from Canada
-
Nominal roll on embarkation, 1915
-
Promotions, appointments
-
Daily Orders
-
RG 150, vol. 72
-
File Part
1=1915/05/01-1915/12/25
-
File Part
2=1916/01/01-1916/12/31
-
File Part
3=1917/01/31-1917/09/30
-
File Part
4=1917/10/05-1918/03/31
-
File Part
5=1918/04/02-1918/10/31
-
File Part
6=1918/11/02-1919/12/23
-
RG 150, vol. 154 = 1919/08/12 -
1919/08/18
|
